huiray

I, on the other hand, can't remember the last time I bought boneless chicken parts. I've kept my bone-in chicken in the fridge for longer than what Chris H says (without repackaging) and been none the worst for it. It *does* depend also on how fresh the parts were when packaged. On occasion I've done a "fei sui" treatment on parts that were beginning to smell, or alternatively washed them well under the tap taking care to pull off fat and interposing tissues (where the "smell" really originates). Then use the pieces in a dish where it is definitely *cooked*. There is a cross-over line that I know but can't define when I will toss the package instead.

Heh. Maybe one day when your DH isn't around and it's just yourself? Hmm, on reflection I *think* I also had a glass of J&B in my hand when I was cooking the liver and I *might* have dumped some of it into the pan too... :-D

I like small/mini cauliflowers - like these shown here - when I do buy cauliflower. I get them usually at the Farmers' markets in season. Usually around $3.50 or thereabouts per pound. They're attractive when cooked and presented as entire heads nestled on the side of an individual plate of food or on a serving plate. Large heads of cauliflower at the farmers' markets are also often around $3 per head when available, sometimes more; one or two vendors offer them at higher prices - like $2.50/smallish head (maybe 4-5 inches across). I also like the miniature "spiral pointy shaped" green ones, the yellow or purple ones, again miniature ones. All found at my local farmers' markets, but the one in Broad Ripple in particular. But I rarely buy bigger heads of them anyway, even in the standard supermarkets.

Calf's liver done with Fegato alla Veneziana as an inspiration, served with wild rice. Fresh calf's liver, cut into slices, marinated briefly w/ ground black pepper, some rice bran oil, a splash of Hotel Tango gin and a wee splash of hon-mirin. :-) The remainder of the batch of balsamic glazed Cipollini onions (from here) with the juices and sauce added to a pan w/ EV olive oil on moderate heat, most f them cut into two w/ a spatula, tossed around briefly then the liver slices added in. Heat turned to high, everything tossed/stirred around briefly, a splash more gin went in plus lots of chopped Italian parsley, some sea salt, and stuff tossed/stirred till the liver was just barely cooked w/ some pinkishness/bloodiness retained. Served over wild rice [Bineshii] prepared just beforehand (simply simmered in salted water then drained). Sautéed mustard greens. I used "pull mustard", 雪裡紅.

Beef shin braised w/ garlic. Whole beef shin sliced into thick-ish rounds, browned in EV olive oil w/ just sea salt, developing some nice fond &etc; then tossed w/ and gently sautéed w/ about 2-and-a-half heads worth of garlic cloves, uncrushed but each sliced in half. Water added to cover plus a bit. Simmered for a while. Fresh bay leaves crushed in the hand added plus cracked/lightly crushed black peppercorns. Simmered some more till done and the sauce was thickened and reduced. Eaten w/ fedelini, spooning some of the sauce over the pasta. Parsley garnish. Balsamic glazed Cipollini onions, with romaine lettuce. Trimmed whole red & yellow Cipollini onions gently browned in EV olive oil on medium-low heat (starting top-side-down), turning over once. Chicken stock added. Simmered down, covered some of the time. A generous pour of 10-year balsamic vinegar added, stuff stirred around, turning the onions over as appropriate; water splashed in as needed; a 2-second pour of hon-mirin went in, plus some dried crushed thyme, the pan covered and shaken occasionally as the stuff was cooked down. Seasoning adjusted. The romaine was simply blanched in the pasta cooking water (from above) w/ a bit of oil added in, and eaten (chopsticks) mostly with dipping into the sauce of the glazed onions.

Charcuterie dinner. Pressed tongue, Westphalian ham, Salame Cotto, coarse Braunschweiger, Zungenwurst, Kalbsleberwurst; Scallions. Sliced Francese. Romaine.

Picked up some nice stuff today. Claus' German Sausage & Meats: Top to bottom, L to R: Bratwurst, bulk Sauerkraut; coarse Braunschweiger, pork Schnecken; Kalbsleberwurst, Zungenwurst; pressed tongue, Westphalian ham. Oh, plus fresh calf's liver slices (not shown). Goose the Market: Toulouse sausages (this one, from Smoking Goose), Salame Cotto (house - i.e. Smoking Goose). Cheeses on right: top to bottom: Vacherin Fribourgeois Alpage, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar (Jasper Hills), Pecorino Ginepro. Plus a dozen enormous deep brown farm eggs. Amelia's Bakery: Francese loaf, browned butter chocolate chip cookie, Kouign Amann. Hotel Tango Distillery: Lima Charlie Limoncello – Batch #15, Bottle #4. Golf Gin – Batch #57, Bottle #55. Nicole-Taylor's Pasta Market: Fresh mozzarella, fresh spaghettini nests, bag of fresh fusilli. The Fresh Market: De Cecco fedelini, Sesmark brown rice thins, La Panzanella mini-croccantini, SMT whole peeled tomaoes (San Merican™ Tomatoes), lemons, parsley. "What about vegetables", you ask? Well, I still have stuff from both the (Western) supermarkets and from the Chinese grocery...and I've also been making soups and preps and dishes featuring dried vegetables and other dried things, stuff which are ingredients in their own right with their own taste.

A ramen hack. "Ibumie Penang LadMee Perisa Lada Pedas" (I like this one) augmented w/ pastrami, Fish Tofu [CF Trading], yu choy sum, scallions, and extra ground white pepper. ---------------------------------------------- Hot & Sour Soup. The latest version. :-) Most of the stuff that went in. Top, L-R: Soaked & trimmed Golden Needles (金針) (lily buds); fresh ground white pepper; rinsed sliced mustard stems (榨菜). Bottom, L-R: Pork slices marinated w/ good Shaohsing wine, corn starch, double fermented soy sauce [LKK], pepper, hon-mirin [Takara], fish sauce [Red Boat]; slender bamboo shoots cut into chunky sticks; deep-fried tofu puffs ("tau pok") sliced up; baby corn sliced into halves; rehydrated & trimmed wood-ear fungus; bean curd sheets soaked & ripped into smaller pieces. Other stuff that went in and not pictured included chicken stock, oil, a beaten egg drizzled in, Chinkiang vinegar (lots), yet more white pepper, some salt. I might be missing listing one or two things...

Looks nice, sartoric. Perhaps you might consider adding even more basil next time. :-) Following on from the "Gardening" topic, here are a few stir-fries that I did in the past with lots of (Thai) basil (just use standard Western basil instead, it doesn't have to be Thai basil): here, here (scroll down), here (scroll down). Here's another soup w/ loads of Genovese basil *and* a noodle/pasta sauce with loads of basil also - here.

Sartoric, here are three pics of soups I've posted here on eG using basil as a vegetable - either "normal" basil or Thai basil. They were from a very quick search and I simply took the readily available shots. There are many more in a similar vein here on eG that I have posted about. Pic 1. Pic 2. Pic 3.

Fried rice. Two eggs beaten w/ some water, ryori-shu, salt, white pepper; then simply fried in a very hot pan w/ generous oil. De-panned, sliced into strips, reserved. Hot oil, hot pan, garlic, marinated sliced deboned chicken thighs, quartered Thai eggplants, 2-day-old rice, lots of chopped scallions; mixed in sliced reserved omelette, tossed around. Served. Plus a couple of small bowls of choy kon tong.

@KennethT, thanks for the Saigon food and travel adventures. Nice reading. sartoric & kbjesq (and KennethT), have a look at the relevant section of another food forum - although basically inactive now, it is stuffed full of posts and recommendations from well-regarded posters and food-obsessed people who had posted copiously there over the years on food in Malaysia including Penang and Ipoh. Here is also one blogger whom one former poster (IMO the most prominent) in that section on CH trusted as a blogger-guide. BTW Tony B's episode on Penang included a sweeping generalization on "laksa" - basically it seemed like there was no other sort than what he was eating then. He talks a lot, but sometimes... here's one thread that may be informative for folks who wish to read more about laksa in M'sia & S'pore. ETA: The one dish that I really miss is properly/professionally prepared KL Hokkien Mee. Sigh. And, BTW, "Hokkien Mee" means very different things in Penang, KL and Singapore. You will need to be very clear in your mind about what you are asking for, what you are expecting, the differences between them, and WHERE you are when you ask for it. :-)

I use it with the stems as well, trimmed to include the tender stems and discarding the woody lower parts ---so the "trimmed basil" I refer to includes more than just the leaves, and the "fistfuls of basil" I use is definitely more than just leaves.

You might be seriously shortening yourself if you are skipping Malaysia, if this trip is to be the "one and only". I might murmur that you look up what is found in Malaysian cuisine --- Malaysian-Chinese, Malaysian-Indian, Mamak, Malay, Northern Nyonya, Southern Nyonya, Malaysian-Hainanese, Colonial British-Malaysian Edition, Portuguese-Malaysian Edition, More specialized Malaysian-Malay (Kelantanese, e.g.), etc etc etc. Penang alone is thought by some to be amongst the premier "street food" places in SE Asia (NOT Bangkok) and the closest comparisons have been Taipei as an example.

Ah, I see heidih referred to my use of it as a vegetable. Thanks, heidi.

Simply use it as a vegetable. Yes, really. Stir-fries. Soups, especially soups. Try wilting handfuls of it into a nice stock with, say, fish balls. Or a tangy soup with chicken and bunches of trimmed basil. Use it as one would fistfuls of Thai basil in similar circumstances except with a slight twist to it. (In fact, half of what you have in that tub would easily go into ONE pot of soup for just a couple meals, or, if I'm hungry, a single meal. :-) ) ETA2: 10-15 years ago, when I was much more enthusiastic about growing stuff, I would have about 20 feet-worth of beds growing just basil of various sorts - usually around 7 -8 types plus more in tubs on the deck. Standard Italian-type (like yours) and Genovese would be two of the more dominant varieties. I'd let them get to about 3 times the height of what you show, with appropriate feeding. Yes, I ate them all - except the more scented or unusual ones which were only partially consumed.

You mean this place? https://goo.gl/maps/CUJhfG28gQ82 That's a shame. I guess showing folks its location on Googlemaps on your smart phone didn't work this time? (The photos of the shop on the photoset on Googlemaps might also have helped?)

So...instead of brunch at Sichuan, I crossed over 116th Street to a place I have not been back to for a few years, and also after they relocated down a few doors from the corner of the strip mall where they were previously. Sunday buffet lunch at Mandarin House in Carmel. Pretty large spread. The usual American-Chinese suspects were on the buffet, but quite a number of Chinese-style dishes/offerings too - especially on the ends and on the "back table", heh. More Chinese clientele than non-Chinese folks there. Busy. I took a selection of maybe 1/4 of the stuff on offer there, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the "Chinese-y stuff". What I had: Selection of their dim-sum-type things: On the larger plate: Small pork bun, siu-mai, phoenix claws (chicken feet), beef tripe w/ ginger. On the smaller plate: Pot stickers, fried turnip cake; a sort of chili sauce, a sweet soy dip. The turnip cake and potstickers were nice. The chicken feet were decent. The tripe was just OK. The pork bun and siu-mai were humdrum to barely passable. Tea: the house oolong (completely unremarkable). Selection of cold cuts and stuff: Cold tofu slices w/ a mildly spicy grated ginger dressing w/ scallions and pei-tan (century egg) chunks; chillied pork maw slices; slices of a sort of beef brisket-like and tendon jellied "roll"; slices of a cured duck marinated w/ a rice-liquor based sauce. All were pretty decent and tasty. Sweet & Sour Fish. With a few chunks of stir-fried baby bok choy which were fine. The fish was a mixed bag. One piece was very dried out, unpleasant in texture and taste. The other (tail-end) piece (on the left) was fine. But the sauce needed to be more sour and less sweet, more tanginess needed. Less gloopiness needed too. Sort-of "stir-fried" clams (flower clams type) in a savory thickened sauce: Also w/ some of the stir-fried baby bok choy. The clams were juicy and fine but it could be more "clammy" in taste. A bit bland tasting but reasonably enjoyable. Orange slices, pineapple slice, a sweet red bean paste sesame fried dough ball. Being eaten. :-) Shot of the entrance from the outside: Overall – lots of food, some nice things, some completely forgettable things. General quasi-Cantonese style in the cooking for the dishes on the buffet, but not the best example of the genre – but then, it was a buffet. Eh, edible. Not at the top of the list of places I can't wait to return to. Location on Google maps.

An update for interested folks...SICHUAN Restaurant, one of the best Chinese restaurants in Indy (insofar as Chinese places go, here in Indy) is permanently closed. Somewhat of a loss for Indy. This place had pretty decent Sichuanese food from its "Chinese menu" and a nice fairly authentic Sichuanese-type-food-dominant Sunday brunch buffet. I've reported on this place in the dinner topics before.

Dinner last night couldn't be simpler (well, maybe it could...). Pastrami, "Italian Rosemary Batard", Dijon mustard, scallions (all commercial). The mustard lightly smeared on the rosemary bread w/ the pastrami was a slightly odd taste, but I found it quite interesting and enjoyable in-between bites of leaving it out. Plus a couple smaller bowls of the choy kon tong from here, mellowed and softened even more from before.

Then there is Imperial Huế cuisine...did you get to try this place in Saigon? I'd love to read your thoughts if you did do so!

I don't know the full research history of attempts to reproducibly demonstrate this, but a cursory search of Google Scholar (here, or here) throws up various papers relating to the anti-microbial properties of extracts of basil (I searched for Thai basil) that includes other herbs and spices too...and remember Thai basil = Vietnamese basil (rau húng quế) and is, really, the same species (Ocimum basilicum) as Italian basil. Thai holy basil (Ocimum sanctum/tenuiflorum) is also included in some of them, and ditto tulsi (the variant of Holy Basil found in the Indian subcontinent). At least one paper also included studies on extracts of rau răm (Vietnamese coriander). :-) Eh, neither you nor your wife got sick, anyway.

Southern-style phở generally has much more greenery/herbs and condiments served with it; Northern-style phở (thought to be the original version) generally is more stripped down and may use slightly different noodles and vary in the (limited) condiments.

Hmm...my understanding is that many of the herbs grown and used in SE Asian cuisines (and certainly known to be so with Thai basil, for one...) have anti-bacterial properties? It seems to be associated w/ the essential oils in them, so chewing on them as you happily eat along may be sufficient to do the trick?

Oh my. OH MY. In Indy I get it at the Chinese/Vietnamese groceries for around $2 or thereabouts per pound. And spanking fresh Thai basil from this large Vietnamese supermarket not far from me is usually $1.29 or so/ per lb.